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Chairperson – Volunteer

Sector : Community Engagement, Community Support Services, Health – General

Posted on : 23 Apr, 2019

About the Role

Overview of the Organisation: The Chase and Tyler Foundation (CTF) is a not-for-profit organisation with DGR status which was established by Vanessa Robinson after her sons, Chase 8 and Tyler 6, died from accidental carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning in 2010. This was caused by a gas heater in their rental property, which spilled carbon monoxide into their home due to a lack of servicing and maintenance of the heater.

The accident highlighted not only a lack of knowledge about gas and fuel burning appliance safety and CO poisoning throughout the Australian public, but also within government, gasfitting, building industries and emergency services.

CTF raises awareness of gas and fuel burning appliance safety, CO poisoning prevention and energy poverty on a national level. We’ve been critical in raising the level of awareness Australia currently has on these issues.

About the role: The Chairperson of the CTF is responsible for providing leadership of the Board, including working in close partnership with the Executive Director.

The Chairperson will ensure that the CTF Board is effective in setting organisational strategy and will be accountable for ensuring that the Board applies due care and diligence in fulfilling its governance, legal, ethical, fiduciary and financial responsibilities. The Chairperson will understand the importance of having a well-governed organisation to ensure delivery on CTF’s social impact imperatives.

Role and Responsibilities
The Chair of CTF is responsible for leadership of the board including:
• General performance of the board
• Establishment and maintenance of systems for information flow to the board
• Making recommendations to the board as to prudent management of the group
• Facilitating proper information flow (including financial) to the board
• Facilitating the effective functioning of the board including managing the conduct, frequency and length of board meetings
• Communicating the views of the board, in conjunction with the Executive Director (ED), to the organisation’s security holders, broader stakeholders and to the public in performing his/her role, the chair’s responsibilities also include in consultation with the ED/ Secretary:
o Setting the agenda for the matters to be considered by the board
o Seeking to ensure that the information provided to the board is relevant, accurate, timely and sufficient to keep the board appropriately informed of the performance of the organisation and of any developments that may have a material impact on the organisation or its performance
o Seeking to ensure that communications with stakeholders and the public are accurate and effective
o Seeking to ensure that the board as a whole has the opportunity to maintain adequate understanding of the organisation’s financial position, strategic performance, operations and affairs generally and the opportunities and challenges facing the organisation
o Facilitating open and constructive communications amongst board members and encouraging their contribution to board deliberations
o Overseeing and facilitating board, committee and board member evaluation reviews and succession planning
o Liaising and interfacing with the ED as the primary contact between the board and management
o Liaising with and counselling, as appropriate, board members
• Subject to the terms of the constitution, the chair is appointed by the board from amongst its members and holds office at the discretion of the board until removed from office by the board or until the chair resigns from office or is no longer a board member
• In the absence of the chair, the deputy chair (if there is one appointed by the board) or the senior or lead independent director, should assume the role that otherwise would be performed by the chair if the chair was not absent
• Serve as the spokesperson for CTF alongside the ED

Role of the Chair
• Acting as an important link between the board and management but without necessarily preventing direct access of fellow directors
• Establishing and maintaining an effective working relationship with the ED
• Setting the tone for the board, including the establishment of a common purpose
• Chairing board meetings efficiently and shaping the agenda in relation to goals, strategy, budget and executive performance
• Obtaining appropriate information to present to the board
• Encouraging contributions by all board members and seeking consensus when making decisions
• Motivating board members and where appropriate dealing with underperformance
• Overseeing the process for appraising board members individually and the board as a whole
• Overseeing negotiations for the ED’s employment and evaluating the ED’s performance
• Planning for ED’s succession
• Assisting with the selection of board committee members
• Communicating with shareholders and members on behalf of the board and on matters of corporate governance
• Chairing annual and extraordinary general meetings (AGMs and EGMs)
• Available to speak with significant stakeholders

Key Selection Criteria – Essential
• Commitment to the role and the Chase and Tyler Foundation
• Significant Board and/or previous position as Chairperson
• Relevant territory qualification (law, business, accounting or similar)
• Understanding of not for profit governance and issues impacting small charities
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate and mentor
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• A genuine commitment to social impact

Key Selection Criteria – Desirable
• Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors
• Member of the Governance Institute of Australia